KBRA releases a recap of its European Data Centre Event in London on 20 May, bringing together sector experts, investors, issuers, operators, bankers, and other market participants for an afternoon of discussions on the key themes shaping the European data centre landscape. The programme focused on how artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand, power availability, development constraints, evolving financing approaches, and investor underwriting considerations are influencing the sector across the UK and Europe.

The discussions centred on three connected themes: the rapid growth of data centre demand, the power and development constraints shaping new supply, and the evolution of financing structures as market participants evaluate data centres through corporate, project finance, infrastructure finance, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and asset-backed securities (ABS) frameworks. Grid access and planning bottlenecks are expected to remain key constraints, increasing the importance of alternative power structures, private wire arrangements, and closer coordination among governments, utilities, regulators, and operators.